A different sort of 'crown'
Updated: Oct 10
The Virgin Mary's crown and sceptre.
This statue of the virgin with child Jesus had been damaged quite badly in the past by someone who had was quite unwell.
It was refurbished after the incident, though I am unsure by whom or how long ago. The statue of the Virgin was given a crown and sceptre at that time. The crown had been fixed in place with some screws and wood off-cuts. Without the crown, her head was quite flat.
I am uncertain if the top of her head was removed because it was so damaged, or if it was to accommodate the crown. In part because the edges of the head had been whittled down to make the metal crown fit.
Re-presenting the statue
To the left is an image of the statue holding a rosary, as our client preferred to present her as Our Lady of the Rosary. The sceptre was removed because it was undersized, and also broken.
She seemed a little swamped by the ill-fitting crown, and so we were asked to remove it; which meant carving her a new crown - her head, that is!
Carving the new 'crown'
David and I work as a team, each to our strengths.
David shaped a nice dome of wood for me to work on, and affixed it to the statue. I was then able to shape it into a cranium, carving the hair so as to follow
the existing sculptural lines of the original.
Our Lady of the Rosary statue completed
